Insults to Odartey killed my Kotoko interest - Kuffour

LAGOS - Samuel Osei Kuffour has revealed that he would have ended his career at Kumasi Asante Kotoko had he not witnessed the volley of insults let loose on Nii Odartey Lamptey and his mother when he played for Kotoko.
Lamptey had by then returned to wind down his career with the Oseikrom team and clearly found the going tough to the disappointment of the vociferous fans who expected him to torment defences like he did in his hey days.
Kuffour said this at a panel discussion which featured a crack array of stars like former Cameroonian goalie Joseph Antoine-Bell, Nigeria’s Sunday Oliseh, former Holland international Pierre Van Hooijdonk and French world cup winner Christian Karembeu during the Soccerex Seminar in Lagos, Nigeria.
‘I was at the stadium in Kumasi watching Odartey play for Kotoko and the insults he and his mother had to endure was amazing,’ he said.
‘This made me revise my decision to finish my career with Kotoko whom I supported as a kid because I won’t accept insults aimed at my mother, she’s everything to me. ‘My mother sold our black-and-white television to buy me a pair of football shoes when I was invited to the camp of the Black Starlets. She then lied to my sisters that it was with a repairer so I will get problems with people who will try to speak against my mother,’ he expressed sentimentally.
‘The pressure you through in your career in Europe is so immense so winding it down in your country should come with some moderation when criticisms have to be expressed. Laryea Kingston is one player currently with Hearts of Oak, having plied his trade in various European countries. He has had his fair share of insults when times get rough but Kuffour admires his courage. I like what Laryea Kingston is doing with Hearts of Oak now but let’s encourage him when he doesn’t meet certain standards.'
How Footballers Invest Their Money
Kuffour didn’t mince words about how players who get the chance to play abroad should invest their money.
‘When you get the chance to play abroad and the money starts coming, it is there that you find friends of all calibre coming around. They come and introduce girls, outings, drinks here and there but don’t forget that the money which is to be spent won’t come from their pockets. They drain you and when there is nothing to spend you won’t find them anywhere near. So my advice to up-and-coming players is that invest your money when it comes so that you can recoup it and it’s dividends when you can’t play anymore.'
Football Management and Coaching
‘I see myself in a football management role than in coaching, I can’t stand the pressure that comes with coaching. I don’t want to die early,’ he said lightly while bursting into a fit of laughter.